The present invention relates to declawing turkey poults and chick poults through a form of heat such as microwave energy.
The claw of the poultry is a weapon for fighting and scratching other poultry. In commercial production of poultry, such fighting and scratching may result in a disfigurement of the poultry and reduce its market value. Accordingly, poultry are de-toed to eliminate the claw.
Previously, poultry have been de-toed by cutting through the toe with a red hot blade to cauterize the toe. Although bleeding may be minimized by cauterization, the wound resulting from this process still produces a substantial amount of pain and may induce shock in the poultry, causing the poults to be measurably set back in their growth.
In using this prior art process, approximately one-third of the toe of the poultry is cut off to eliminate the claw. For example, in a turkey, a toe consists of five bones or phalanges, and the cut in the de-toeing process is made in the middle of the fourth phalanx. The claw of the turkey toe extends from the fifth phalanx.